Indravarman I

Indravarman I, (flourished 9th century, Cambodia), ruler of the Khmer kingdom of Angkor (Cambodia) from 877 to about 890.

Indravarman probably usurped the throne from his cousin Jayavarman III. During his reign a large reservoir was constructed at the capital city of Hariharalaya (near modern Phumĭ Rôluŏs). The lake was the first part of a vast system of reservoirs, canals, and irrigation channels eventually built to control the river system of the region and to permit the cultivation of rice on lands that would otherwise have remained unproductive. This vast irrigation system later enabled the Khmers at Angkor to maintain a densely populated and highly centralized state in a relatively limited area. The system eventually made it possible to feed the immense labour force that was necessary for the construction of the temples at Angkor. At Roluos, Indravarman built Bakong, which was the first Cambodian temple built mainly of stone and was the model from which the later Angkor temples developed.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Virginia Gorlinski, Associate Editor.